Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Peanut-studded peanut butter brownies



Dear daughter,

six years ago, on a Wednesday morning exactly like today, you came into this world, the best Christmas present a girl could ever dream of. A lot of things have changed since then: all that black peach fuzz on your head has turned into little blond wisps of elf-like hair, your eyes have turned from grey into the most beautiful shade of aqua green and from a quiet little baby you have become a real chatterbox, words tumbling from your lips from the moment you awake till the moment you fall asleep.

You have now started reading words everywhere you find them and in your drawings fairies and letters are intertwined. You sing loud and clear as if you were on stage, whether you are playing in your room or walking down the street, peppering each verse with a hop or a twirl. You are one of the most stubborn little creatures I have ever met, yet you are a truly sensitive soul and will drop anything you are doing for a cuddle or a kiss. I hope you keep both these traits as you grow into a woman, because tenacity will get you far but kindness and compassion will take you even farther.


When your brother was born, you constantly asked me which of you I loved more. I told you then and I tell you now that I love you both the same, I couldn’t love one of you more because my love for you is boundless, it cannot be quantified. But you will always be my first: you made me a mother and I have loved you longer, so you will always have that three-and-a-half-year headstart.


Even if you are growing faster than I can keep track of, you will always be my little girl, even when a tooth finally fills that big gap in your smile and you will be old enough to have children of your own.

This year for your birthday you expressly asked for a chocolate princess cake and we secretly went and ordered it on the week end. In the meantime, though, I made you those brownies that you have been asking me to bake you for ages. I know you don’t like walnuts or pecans in your brownies so I used peanuts and peanut butter in them instead. They are just like you, sweet and soft with a touch of saltiness and an unexpected crunch.

Happy birthday my love.

Mommy




Ingredients
For the basic recipe, click here.
4 tbsp unsweetened peanut butter
1 cup chopped unsalted peanuts

Substitute walnuts with the same amount of chopped peanuts and add 4 tablespoons of unsweetened peanut butter into the batter.

Last but definitely not least I wanted to thank Manu (a little late, sorry, but I was travelling) and Paolo for their awards: it is always a real honor to receive any form of acknowledgement from other bloggers, especially the ones you admire.






I pass these on to some of my newer blogging friends and reads:

The Little Loaf
The Nervous Cook
A Full Measure of Happiness
The Twinky Cake


14 comments:

  1. Happy birthday to your daughter! And what a lucky little girl getting these gorgeous brownies :-)

    Thanks so much for the award link...I'm slightly new to this, what do I need to do?!

    x

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  2. Happy birthday to the blessed girl with such a loving, beautiful mommy. *Tear* I miss my mom now.

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  3. LL - thank you!Re awards, if you want to, you post them (in a post or in an award page or on the sidebar), you normally mention who you received it from and then pass it on to any blogs you want to give them to (you usually link to the blogs you mention). All of this is entirely up to you, no step is required and you can also decide to decline the invite. It is purely a way to ackowledge a blog you enjoy and the hard work behind it.
    Thank you Sofia, I hope my daughter will feel that way about me when she is a grown up, despite all my faults.

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  4. grazie mille Fiona! sono onorata! I wish you a lovely Christmas!!! ;-)

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  5. I was so selfishly hoping I'd get to see her picture, especially of those eyes!
    I was born on Dec 24th so I know what it's like to be a Christmas Baby and no matter how much everyone always says it must be AWFUL to have a birthday so close to Christmas, I absolutely love it and I hope your daughter does to!
    Happy Holidays, Fiona!

    Nicole

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  6. I bet your daughter is sweet with the perfect amount of saltiness. What a treat, and what a blessing. Happy birthday to your princess, and I hope she liked these brownies as much as the princess cake.

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  7. Also, how sweet of you to think of me and include me in your awards. I can't tell you how lad I am to have stumbled on your blog; you are one of my very favorite voices.

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  8. What a beautiful letter for your daughter. I feel privileged to have gotten to read it :) Merry Christmas to you and your family lovely Fiona! :D

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  9. What a lovely letter to one's daughter! I am sure she will cherish the letter as much as the brownies that came with it!

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  10. This is such a beautiful piece of writing. Gave me goosebumps all down my arms.

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  11. This is the sweetest letter... and I feel the same way about my babies. Just beautiful! And lucky little girl to have a mom who bakes her peanut butter brownies.

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  12. What a lovely post! And the brownies look delicious!

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  13. Twinky - hope you had a great Christmas.
    Nicole - Happy belated birthday and hope you had a great celebration and holidays. I think if the people who love you make you feel special on that day it is a great season to have a birthday. I will always make an effort to celebrate my daughter, as it sounds like your family did.
    Laurie - hi Laurie, glad you enjoyed.
    Nervous Cook - thank you for every word that you wrote, it means a lot to me.
    NQN - Thank you dear Lorraine and likewise.
    ToB - thanks, I hope she will...
    Tori - awww, thanks!
    Jamie - and your boys sound like they grew into lovely young men...perhaps that is the key...
    Miri - hi there! Good to hear from you and thanks.

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